tl;cr meme

[marriagebroker]

post your character, people reply, give them the deets. you know how this goes.

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[phenomerom]

A lot of week 4 ended up being Rom coasting on that emotional high, as a result. Exploring new territory and coming to terms with the dizzying realization that hey, maybe they have a genuine connection of sorts? This person who he really likes, who accepts him, actually likes him back? Insane. It’s kind of why Rom was so content with doing whatever would make Edamura happy – all that really mattered to him was getting to spend time together, and basking in the knowledge that Edamura also seemed to want that companionship. A reality he could have never imagined for himself going into the game, and yet there they were, even venturing into the BBR. (I’m still backtagging that slowly, but please know that in my heart Rom dozed off afterwards while clutching at Edamura like a hug pillow, and it’s rare for him to voluntarily sleep around other people …. Sorry if he had to be woken up, and so they were slow to make their exit, thus getting them caught by others in the estate, tehe!)

Even more than their little excursion into the BBR, it’s probably Edamura’s mention of them being ‘lovers’ that gave Rom a lot of food for thought. It’s not like he’d thought Edamura would heartlessly cut contact with him once the game was over, but … he also presumed that his life would mostly go back to normal afterwards. They both had jobs to return to, and it was only circumstances within the game that had brought them together. His time at AYTO would be a fondly cherished memory, certainly, but he also sort of passively assumed it wouldn’t become much more than that. Edamura being brave enough to first float that word – ‘lovers’ – is what signaled to Rom that he was allowed to consider their little … thing … as something he could look forward to in the future. Which … was such a strange notion to him.

Rom, I think, isn’t really the type of guy to think about his future much beyond immediate business and job prospects. And while he did, for a long time, have a singular long-term goal in mind, that was avenging Towako’s death … which he actually did get to complete shortly before entering AYTO. Which means he would’ve been left pretty aimless in the large scheme of things, just immersing himself back into his job, until Edamura floated the prospect of them being ‘lovers.' Which just opened up a whole new world for him? Something new that he could look forward to in the long run, something joyful instead of vengeful, something that he’d never thought possible for himself. New, wild, exciting. Rom said he’d ‘try,’ and while I do think a part of his word choice was due to uncertainty about his ability to live up to expectations, in his mind there’s also a positive aspect to ‘trying’ – a sort of forward momentum, the drive to make things better, a goal to attain. He wants to do it right, he wants to make Edamura happy, he wants to make sure Edamura doesn’t regret the choices he made! Rom’s a hard worker, and having that goal to work at really gives him a sense of fulfillment, and doubly so if the goal is to be good to the person who gave him so much.

In summation, as they depart from the game, Rom just … god, he fucking loves Edamura, okay. He genuinely does. I think, even if he’s the type who wouldn’t actually be able to drop an ‘I love you’ for another few months minimum (sorry Edamura ……), it’d come through in bits and pieces in his attitude and actions. Like, Rom isn’t very good at communicating sincere thoughts through texts and such, but I sure hope Edamura is prepared for Rom to show up to his world without warning when Edamura’s con job is winding down so they can spend some time together.

I think for Rom, he wouldn’t think that they were fated to be or anything. He’d be extremely aware that their relationship was able to take off only because the circumstances were just right. If they’d met under any other circumstances, there probably would have been nothing between them; it was only the cast at AYTO and the supernatural occurrences that meant Edamura believed in him instead of writing him off as a third-rate conman, and conversely, Rom believes that if it was any other normie that had been in Edamura’s place, they might have hit it off to some extent, but that explosive spark between them only occurred because it was Edamura, because of Edamura’s deep empathy and sincerity. But is it really so bad that their relationship only happened because of lucky chance? For Rom, that just means he’s exponentially more grateful that the stars aligned to grant him this happiness he never would have pursued for himself.

Anyway, hey, did I ever mention that Rom’s creed of dedicating himself to helping people is mostly just because Towako offered him that helping hand and rescued him when he was little? Which is to say – when someone influences him, he takes it very much to heart. So I hope Edamura is ready for Rom to properly dedicate himself to what he said: he’s really going to try his damndest to make things work for them as ‘lovers.’ Which isn’t to say that I think it’s going to only be smooth sailing for them. I definitely see them as the type to have a slightly rocky time settling into things and needing a while to find a good equilibrium, given both of them working unconventional jobs and not being very experienced with this relationship thing. Rom sure is going to cause his share of troubles, given his bad habit of keeping secrets even from the people closest to him (his long-suffering Master …) and his reckless attitude of wading into dangerous situations on his own. But I think … given he knows how genuine and empathetic and actually caring Edamura is, Rom will try to do better and change, even if it’s slowly and a little bit at a time. He’d want to be more careful so Edamura doesn’t have to be in danger by association, and try to communicate a little better so Edamura isn’t as stressed, and want to be in a good enough position that he can be there for if/whenever Edamura might need the helping hand. Edamura, just by virtue of being who he is and extending him that chance at a normal life, would really guide him into living a better life, and I think Rom would find so much fulfillment in that – this path towards a normal sort of happiness that he never thought possible for himself.

I think it speaks a lot to their compatibility that it’s sooooo easy for me to imagine the shenanigans that the two of them can get up to in a post-AYTO future. Rom showing up when one of Laurent’s schemes are in the late stages and ending up helping out with a con. Edamura being introduced to Rom’s Master, and Rom dropping the news on her without warning that they’re boyfriends and almost giving her a heart attack. The two of them leading one of those ghost tours as Rom promised, but things going a little wrong and them needing to make things work on the fly, while keeping Rom’s fans in the dark the whole way through. And then going for drinks afterward so they can gripe and banter and laugh about who should have done what better, but also how they’re glad things worked out in the end. Going on little trips together between their hectic jobs so they can learn more about each other and just … be happy together. Etc. etc. It just makes me smile so widely to think about how well they’ve ended up meshing, how they ended up connecting right at the moment both of them were feeling kind of lost and aimless, and how their strengths and weaknesses slot together so well. They just …. hrgh, CLENCHES FIST. I think I believe in them, I think they can make it work.

I’d say Rom would die for Edamura, but honestly, that’s not as meaningful as saying that I think Rom would want to live for Edamura. Rom’s not a deathseeker, but he takes on all risks solo and doesn’t take very good care of himself, and before his AYTO run, he had genuinely resigned himself to death before things just happened to work out to save his hide. But after AYTO, after finding this new long-term goal of wanting to making sure Edamura doesn’t regret the choice he made, I think he won’t be so quick to resign himself again. He’d fight more fiercely to try and stay alive, because he wants to spend that time at Edamura’s side and see him happy. That’s how much Edamura means to him.

I cannot believe how fucking long this got aaaaaa don’t look at the word count just know that these two clowns mean SO MUCH to me okay, I had a lot of Thoughts ……… holds them gently together